Elastic strain absorber with lace stitch



y 9, 1939- H. B. SNADER 2,157,464

ELASTIC STRAIN ABSORBER WITH LACE swscn Filed Jan. 16, 1939 A? A? b I l c d 170 Ward .5. 152750 91" tom W1 4,

Patented May 9, 1939 Howard B. Snader, Temple, Pa, assignor to Vanity Fair Silk Mills, Reading, Pa., a corporatlon of Pe n ylvania,

Application January 16, 1039, Serial No. 251,220

'2 Claims.

This invention relates to knit hosiery having a zone of rubber elastic yarn stretchable both longitudinally and circumferentially of the leg,

having an incidental function as a garter, but the major function of which is to absorb the stretch due to longitudinal pulls on the stocking in normal wear, particularly when the stocking is held by a hose suspender, the object being to prevent runs. I

The invention is an improvement on the strain absorbing zone described in the patent to Howard B. Snader, No. 1,929,006, granted October 3, 1933, which consists of an integrally knit circumferential area of rubber elastic yarn, which in order to avoid' the objectionable appearance of curling, is separated into a plurality of narrow bands, in each of which the amount of curl ing present is so small as to be inobvious, with narrow bands of the basic inelastic knit fabric of the stocking intervening.

Briefly, it may be stated that the fine gauge rubber elastic yarn employed in machine knit hosiery cannot be knit without tensioning, and that in seeking its state of repose the yarn con- 25 tracts in the knitted loops or stitches, causing curling of the fabric, which in extensive areas of the fabric produce an aggregate amount of curling which is objectionable from the standpoint of appearance. In order for a strain absorbing 30 zone to adequately absorb the longitudinal pulls to which a stocking is normally subjected in ordinary wear, it must in the aggregate have a large number of courses of elastic yarn, for example, thirty courses, which in the absence of 35 some curl repressing or disguising feature shows an amount of curling which is objectionable. Where the curling is' unrestrained, the elastic strain absorbing zone assumes the shape of a groove or channel extending around the stock- 40 ing. This groove or channel is not in evidence while the stocking is distended upon the leg, but it mars the appearance of the stocking when displayed for sale.

The object of the present invention is to em- 5 ploy a knitting pattern for the elastic fabric of the strain-absorbing zone, which will provide in said-zone diagonally intersecting thickened ribs or struts which will resist the tendency of the fabric to curl, and which while of reduced elas- 50 ticity on account of the increased thickness, will compensate for this diminution in elasticity by their capacity to rotate about their points of intersection, reducing the magnitude of those opposite angles which lie in' the direction-of'the 55 stress, moving into alignment with the direction of stress and thereby increasing their effective length. The principle of the present invention may be applied to narrow or wide bands of rubber elastic knit fabric with equally good results. so Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the following specification, and throughout the several figures, of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 represents the upper portion of the leg of a knit stocking, illustrating a strain absorber constructed according to the principles of 10 the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing diagrammatically, and by way of example, a pattern for knitting, by means of which the results ascribed to the present invention may be obtained; and 10 Figure 3 is a modified form of the invention in which the strain absorbing zone is a single band of adequate width to absorb the longitudinal pulls of the stocking.

Before adverting to a description in detail of the figures of the drawing, it may be asserted as a well-known fact that the only covered rubber elastic yarn which is practical for use in knitting machines is that formed by fine filaments of ex- 'truded latex rubber or filaments of equivalent fineness and of a gauge substantially as described in the patent to Adamson, No. 1,822,847. Such yarn is so readily stretchable that it is tensioned by the very act of the needles or sinkers forming the loops. Consequently, in the knitted fabric the loops of rubber elastic yarn tend to grow smaller as the rubber yarn contracts to its state of repose, so that the knitted strain absorbing zone tends to grow smaller in width and at the same time smaller in circumference, giving rise to .the trough or channel shape above described, and which is known as curling.

It is well known that if the flimsy web constituted by the elastic strain absorbing zone when plainly knit is reinforced in some manner so as to thicken the fabric, the tendency to curl will be opposed by the resistance of the fabric to change its shape, due to the fact that it is relatively thick. However, as the fabric is thickened, its resistance to stretch is reduced, so that here we have an advantage, the inhibition of curling offset by a disadvantage, the reduction in elasticity of the strain absorbing zone. The present invention seeks, to perpetuate the advantage, while at the same time avoiding the diminution in the stretchability of the fabric.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral l represents an integrally knit stocking having the welt or top 2 and the leg portion 3 knit from a substantially inelastic yarn such as silk, rayon, cotton or any of the fibers customarily employed in the manufacture of hosiery. Between the welt and the'leg portion, and preferably above the knee, 8 strain absorbing zone 4 50 is integrally interposed, the yarn in said zone being covered with fine gauge elastic rubber or its equivalent. The stocking illustrated in Figure 1 somewhat complicates the strain absorbing zone by dividing it into a plurality of narrow bands of the :rubber elastic yarn separated by narrow bands 5 of the basic fabric. It will be understood, however, that this is only one form of the invention, and that it is equally applicable to a strain absorbing zone in the form of a single wide band of knit rubber elastic yarn, as indicated at 4' in Figure 3. z

The present invention proposes to substantially double the thickness of the fabric in the strain absorbing zone, without impairing the capacity of said strain absorbing zone to elongate either in the width direction of said zone or in its circumferential direction. This is accomplished by knitting the elastic rubber yarn according to a pattern which forms the fabric into a lattice of intersecting reinforcing ribs 6 and 1 extending diagonally with respect to the direction of the courses, and in opposite directions. These ribs are derived by transferring certain loops 8 and 9 to the left and right, respectively, from the normal wale positions which they would occupy in plain knitting, and transferring the loop It! also to the right, thus completing a ribbed mesh which surrounds a hole II.

On a full fashioned knitting machine, four needles are required to make one hole or mesh surrounding the hole. For purpose of explanation, these may be designated as needles number a, b, c and d. A course of elastic rubber yarn is laid, and in this course two successive dips are made with the picot bars, the first dip taking the loop 8 from needle 0. to the left, and the second 'dip taking loop 8 from the needle b to the right.

Another course is laid, and in this course there is one dip taking the loop in from needle b and transferring it to the right. This completes one hole. In the next course-of rubber elastic yarn that is laid, the picot bar again makes two dips, transferring loop I! from needle 0 to the left, and transferring loop l3 from needle d to the right. Another course is laid and the picot barmakes a single dip transferring loop II! from needle 11 to the right. This completes two of the mesh holes in this pattern; Another course is laid and the picot bar takes two dips, transferring loop 8' from needle a to the left on the first dip, and on the second transferring loop Q from the nedle b to the right. Another course is laid, and in this course loop I0 is transferred to the right from needle b. In the specific pattern shown in Figure 2, this is followed by the plain knitting of four courses I4, I5, l6 and H of the inelastic basic fabric of the stocking.

It willbe understood that by this system of transfer the meshes are staggered in the direc-" tion of the courses, which means that the ribs 6 and I extend in rectilinear, diagonal, and opposite directions throughout the width dimension of the band.

The specific pattern of knitting which has just been described, refers to the stocking such as is illustrated in Figure 1, in which the elastic bands are only three meshes wide and alternate with narrow'bands of basic relatively inelastic yarn constituted by the four courses H, l5, I8 and I1. In this particular stocking there are a five of the bands of elastic rubber yarn of three mesh width, each of which has six courses. mak

.ing thirty elastic courses in all. It is obvious that an elastic band of any number of meshes in width may be knit without resorting to the interposition of the plain knit inelastic courses.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, that the precise sequence in the transfer of the loops in the formation of the ribs-is not an essential of the invention.

It will be noted that due to the transfer of the loops to the right and left of the several meshes, the ribs are of increased thickness. This necessarily diminishes to some extent the freedom of stretch of the fabric. It will be readily appreciated, however, that when the stocking is pulled in a lengthwise direction, or for that matter circumferentially, which is less important, the ribs 6 and I tend to rotate about their points of intersection towards positions of coincidence. Thus, their effective length in the direction of the pull upon the stocking increases, compensating for the diminution in the elasticity of the fine gauge rubber elastic fabric which ensues through the thickening of the ribs.

The relatively thick lattice formation of the fabric provides a system of diagonal reinforcing struts, which by virtue of the thickness of the ribs, overcomes the tendency of the fabric to curl. The fact that the ribs extend in opposite .direction establishes a balanced relationship of the parts of the stocking above and below the rubber elastic zone, which inhibits any tendency for these parts to twist out of' longitudinal alignment.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the specific details as shown and described are more byway ,of example, than as limiting the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Knit hosiery having an i'ntegral two-way stretch strain absorbing zone, including a circumferential band of fabric knit from fine gauge rubber yarn, said band of fabric comprising a lattice of intersecting reinforcing ribs extending diagonally, and in opposite directions, with respect to the direction of the courses, and relatively movable about their points of intersection so as to narrow their longitudinally disrelatively movable about their points of inter-, section so as to narrow their longitudinally dis posed opposite angles when the stocking is longitudinally stretched, thereby compensating by their effective length increase lengthwise of the stocking, for their diminution in elasticity incident to their thickness, said intersecting ribs forming meshes surrounding relatively large holes, said ribs being derived from loops transferred to the right and left from their normal Wale positions in the areas of said holes.

' HOWARD B. SNADER. 

